From NEHJ: Passion, smarts power Malden Catholic's Collier

The day before he would lead his team to another Massachusetts
state hockey championship, Malden Catholic captain and top scorer
Brendan Collier stood near the Bobby Orr statue outside the TD
Garden and talked about the journey that could lead him from
Charlestown to the bright lights of the NHL one day.

“I just love hockey,” he said as masses of St.
Patrick’s Day revelers bustled past him. “I love
everything about the game and going out and competing my hardest.
Anytime you have a chance to win a championship, you have to make
it count.”

Collier grew up in the shadow of the Boston Bruins’ barn,
dreaming of one day playing in the National Hockey League. If the
30 teams have been paying attention to his stellar high school
career, then the Boston University recruit has a good chance of
being selected in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

“It would definitely be a dream come true,” Collier
told New England Hockey Journal on the eve of one of his most
important tests. “I’ve played hockey my whole life and
obviously, you’re always working towards that goal of making
it to the NHL.”

At about 5-foot-10, Collier may not cast an imposing figure when
he takes the ice in Lancers blue and gold, but opponents who have
underestimated him have often done so at a heavy price. With 27
goals and 64 points in just 22 games this season, Collier’s
almost three-points-per-game pace is proof of his lethal stick,
off-the-charts hockey sense and his drive, passion and
determination to be a player. He played a critical role in all
situations for a Lancers squad that went 21-1-2 for the season,
losing its only game to Delbarton School (New Jersey) in
December.

“I know I’m undersized, but I can make the plays
that help my team win games,” he said. “I know that my
head — the hockey sense I have — can make up for my
lack of size and I just try to find ways to score.”

Collier may not even be a NCAA player yet, but he’s
already accustomed to the TD Garden’s NHL ice surface, having
led the Lancers to a pair of consecutive Massachusetts Division 1A
hockey championships. He scored the overtime goal in 2011 to defeat
St. John’s Prep, and then this year scored another to help
beat BC High, 3-1 (see Page 42).

For those who know Collier from his early days in minor hockey,
there are tales of him playing roller hockey for hours on his
neighborhood streets, then rollerblading to his Middlesex Islanders
ice hockey practices with fellow Townie and friend Matt Grzelcyk,
who also is eligible for the 2012 draft and is a standout
defenseman in the U.S. NTDP.

The two will be reunited at Boston University soon, with the
opportunity to compete in the one signature tournament that most
kids who grow up in Boston dream of playing in.

“Going to the Beanpot is going to be something really
special,” he said. “There hasn’t been many
Townies in it for a while now; it’s just something I’m
going to look forward to and it’s just something that
Charlestown can be proud of. I’m really happy to be a part of
the tradition.”

Another close friend who will not be donning Terriers colors is
fellow MC star Ryan Fitzgerald (North Reading, Mass.), a late
’94 birthdate who is eligible for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
The son of former Bruins forward Tom Fitzgerald (Billerica, Mass.),
now assistant to the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins,
has been joined at the hip with Collier in the years the two have
skated together at MC.

Assuming he isn’t asked to report to BU a full season
earlier than projected, Collier isn’t sure where he will play
hockey in 2012-13. The USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms own his
rights, and staying home to play in the EJHL is another
possibility, but he said that any decision he makes likely will
come from the advice he gets from BU coach Jack Parker (Somerville,
Mass.)

Whatever he does may also be influenced by an NHL club who might
call Collier’s name in Pittsburgh.

“He’s not a dynamic player for being on the small
side,” an NHL scout said recently. “But Collier is one
of those guys who comes through in huge moments. It seems like any
time his team needs a goal, he’s either scoring it or making
a big play to set it up. I think that at the right spot (in the
draft), he is certainly worth considering.

“Collier’s challenge right now is that he’s
coming from a lower level of competition. He’s been money in
the bank as far as his production goes, but teams will wonder if he
can sustain that at the next level.”

If Collier has his way he will leave the high school ranks as a
champion and be rewarded for his efforts and production with an NHL
draft selection before he takes his game to the NCAA.

“I’d like to say that I usually get it done,”
he said when asked what he would tell an NHL club to sell them on
picking him. “I’ve played on many stages of the game.
Last year at nationals, I mean, I do well for myself on any stage
I’m on and can adjust to any style of play.

“I just think it would be a great pick because I’ve
proved myself through adversity and not having the height.
I’ve showed my love and passion for the game and I feel that
I can get it done no matter what.”

NEHJ Top Five

2012 NHL draft prospects

1. Brian Hart

Position: RW

Size: 6-foot-2, 215 pounds

Hometown: Cumberland, Maine

Current team: Phillips Exeter

The skinny: A wrist injury kept him out of the
Beantown Classic tournament last month, but shouldn’t hamper
his standing as the top area prospect for the June draft.

2. Robbie Baillargeon

Position: C

Size: 6-0, 175

Hometown: Enfield, Conn.

Current team: Indiana (USHL)

The skinny: Maintained a solid point-per-game
pace all season long, and more importantly, he did not wear down in
the season’s second half. Underrated.

3. Jon Gillies

Position: G

Size: 6-4, 205

Hometown: So. Portland, Maine

Current team: Indiana (USHL)

The skinny: Former Northeastern commit has
prototypical size plus major upside; could be off the board before
pick No. 50.

4. Chris Calnan

Position: LW

Size: 6-3, 195

Hometown: Norwell, Mass.

Current team: Noble & Greenough

The skinny: We were slow to come around on the
Boston College-bound power forward, but NHL scouting buzz on him is
that with his size, production (28 goals, 55 points) and potential,
he’s a solid early-to-mid-round option.

5. Brendan Collier

Position: LW

Size: 5-10, 170

Hometown: Charlestown, Mass.

Current team: Malden Catholic

This article originally appeared in the April 2012 issue of
New England Hockey Journal.